Three arrested over Malaysian arms heist

Three arrested over Malaysian arms heist

MALAYSIA: Malaysian police said on Sunday they had arrested three men, including two of their own officers, over a weapons heist at a police camp in northeastern Terengganu state.

"We have solved the case," Terengganu police chief Hussin Ismail told AFP. "We have arrested two police personnel and one member of the public."

The officers were from the Kubang Badak police camp where the theft took place early on Saturday. Police recovered all the stolen arms and ammunition.

The heist, in which 21 guns and some 645 rounds of ammunition were stolen, was the third such raid in recent years, heightening fears of militant activity after a Muslim cult stole weapons in 2000.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said it was a relief the weapons had been recovered, but that authorities had to prevent similar security breaches. "Action taken must be able to prevent a recurrence of such incidents," he was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency.

Abdullah, who was in Terengganu for a separate event and had earlier visited the police camp, said authorities were still investigating motives for the theft.

Hussin earlier dismissed any suggestion of militant activity, saying the thieves had intended to sell the weapons which included 19 Smith and Wesson revolvers and two pistols, a Browning and a Steyr.

Police said the weapons and ammunition were found Sunday morning on the other side of the country, in Malacca state on the southwestern coast. -- AFP